To wonder how so many people are comfortable breaking the speed limit?

[AngeloMysterioso]

Is it just me? I’m pretty vigilant about sticking to the speed limit but more and more I’ve noticed recently that I’ll be doing 70 or just below on a dual carriageway or the motorway and someone will go flying past. God forbid I be driving at the limit on the outside lane, even if I’m going faster than everyone in the middle lane it’s only a matter of time before some knob is either flashing their headlights at me or driving up my arse (or both) while I wait for a big enough gap to move across so they can shoot off before doing the same to the next car in front.

It tends to be most often 4x4 drivers or Mercedes/BMW/Jaguar etc types. Maybe they just don’t think they should have to see the back of a 16 year old Fiesta!

I’ve never, even at 80mph, been in the outside lane for more than a few seconds. Perhaps that’s the issue here. I’ve also never been flashed to move as I used the lanes as intended.

Other peoples speed isn’t yours to police so you don’t have to sit in the outside lane ensuring we all stick to 70mph.

I drive on a motorway on my work commute and you definitely can't guarantee getting back from lane 3 in a few seconds, it just isn't the way the traffic works especially with heavy lorry volumes

I read a report by the RoSPA into road traffic incidents a few years ago. 95% of fatal or life-changing road traffic incidents in the UK are caused by males behaving carelessly or dangerously, and the biggest cause of that careless or dangerous behaviour is over-confidence in one's own abilities. So, yes, the people (almost always males) who think that they are such wonderful drivers they can exceed the speed limit and that they are so skilled and lightning-quick they will avoid an accident are the problem. I don't care if these people just kill or maim themselves but their arrogance usually destroys other people.

Also, driving is perhaps the most obvious area where the Dunning-Kruger effect comes into play.

Yup. In almost a million miles it’s affected nobody negatively, including me. - and of course it never will ........

It's this kind of self assurance and overconfidence that has led to many deaths and injuries. Quite scary how oblivious some people are to the dangers.

There are some posters on this thread that I hope I never encounter on the roads. Such breathtaking arrogance and unwillingness to accept that laws exist. The same type of attitude that some folk have towards shoplifting- I’ll do what I want and sod everyone else.

I'm generally on the roads at the crack of twat and the roads are clear. I find I have to take even more care because there are other roads users who think because the roads are quiet they can do what they want and random wildlife that are braver because the day hasn't started up yet.

Complacency just needs to bite you on the arse once. No matter how many years you've been doing it.

Agree OP. And don't even get me STARTED on people who think it's OK to overtake on a bend!

Also, yep always the same cars too. SUVs, Jags, BMWs, Mercs, and Audis! Some of them contain the most abysmal drivers!

You don't usually get people driving very dangerously in a 1.2 Vauxhall Corsa, a Fiat500, or a Ford Focus.

'The crack of twat.'

My Sunday driver dad was once on an empty four lane motorway in the middle of the night to get to Manchester Airport. He was cruising along and glanced casually at his speedo, to find he was going at nearly 100mph 😂😂

I'll forgive him as he's so careful the rest of the time. He didn't get booked for it.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeccVbkL/

why even bother speeding, as it really doesn’t make that much difference.

As I said up thread I am generally on the road when others aren’t and I only exceed the limits when I consider it safe to do so, so you can unclench.

Unclench! You have clearly never scraped up a body from the road, or dealt with the sobbing relatives, or tried to help a young person with a major head injury face the future as a seriously disabled person with all their dreams shattered - don't tell me to unclench!

Oh - and you may not be aware that there is no curfew on traffic laws - they apply 24 hours a day.

@Mischance Well said! It's actually scary that these people are on the roads.

Not Brian, he's always out.

I always drive on cruise, and it's dangerous driving at 70. So many incompetent drivers not using cruise, fluctuating between 62 and 75 making it highly stressful as they speed up whilst I overtake then slow down speed up slow down speed up..... etc. Driving at 77/78 gets you past the dumbos.

But the driver I described earlier today is fine, because driving erratically at less than 2/3rd of the expected speed is just fiiiiiiiiiiine.

Don't be silly, has anyone said that's ok?
Still, at least if they cause a crash there will be less energy involved than the one caused by the person driving over the speed limit.